Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-10-27
IRON MOUNTAIN AND PILOT
KNOB.


IRON MOUNTAIN Mo-, October 15.-
The Iron Mountain Company is at
the present time filling orders for ore to
go to Chattanooga and Birmingham.
This will surprise good many people.
Transportation of Missouri mineral to
the furnaces of Tennessee and Ala hama
seems like carrying Goals to New
CASTLE" But the orders are not un-
usual ones. The Southern Gre fields
contain great beds of low-grade ores,
which can be mined at a minimum
cost. The Missouri ore is wanted to
mix with them. When the short con-
nection by way of Memphis. over the
Nettleton road, is in operation, the
shipments of ore from this State to the
Southern furnaces will be even larger
than they are now.
From the railroad. Iron Mountain
does not make the impression that it
did years ago. It has lowered its crest.
The reddish, rusty look is still there,
but the summit has been pared down
like great corn, until the altitude be-
gins to look Insignificant when compar-
ed with the Surrounding mountains.
Mr.. Louis Petit, the Assistant Super
intendent, was asked how much had
been taken off the top of the mountain.
II have been here fifteen years." he
replied, land I should say that it had
been lowered over 100 feet at least"
A hundred feet off the top of not very
high montain, like half an ich off the
end of q mans nose, is good deal.
UNDERGROUND DISCOVERIES.
But let nobody suppose that because
the mountain is smaller than 1t was
the ore is playing out. There is more
s,x eSOh q a h on
the pioneers came this way, marveled
greatly at this mineral phenomenon,
and named it Iron Mountain. There
is more in sight to-day by countless
tons than the company knew of year
ago. This is the result of the under
ground mining, which is, comparatively
speaking, something new at the noun
tain.
The early mining done here was in
the way of removing the massive cap
of ore which rested on the summit.
Then great veins. as they are called,
were opened and worked as open cuts.
Some of these have been mined to the
depth Of over 100 feet, and are still be-
ing followed. About twelve months
ago the company began probing around
to see what would be left when the
veins gave out. 1t was found that the
the top of the mountain in molten state
down toward the valleys, and had
formed great deposits beneath the sur
face, A beginning has been made up
on these deposits. Two inclines have
been run down into two masses of ore
on one side of the mountain and shaft
has been sunk. The development work
is only beginning, but it has uncov-
cred ore body of ore 81 ct high and
another still thicker. Between the two
is a ridge of porphyry.
These new bodies of what the miners
call "black ore' lie at an angle of
twenty-eight degrees. They seem to
be practically limitless. The diamond
drill shows that they extend down into
valley and cover space of at least
twenty-five acres. Soue of the ore is
better, some not so good as that taken
on top of the mountain, but altogether
the company has reason to feel very
good over the discoveries.
PRESENT OPERATIONS.
About one-half of the daily product,
400 to 500 tons ready for shipment, now
comes from the underground fGrma-
tions. The deposits lie in such shape
that the cost of mining is but little
greater than it ia in the open vein cuts.
There are some 400 men 1t work ,dOu BILE
the number here three years ago. Ten
wears ago there was about the same
force as now. Fifteen years ago, in
1872, the company's payroll showed
1900 names. That was just before the
panic; the furnaces were running and
pig-iron was turned out. In 1876 the
furnaces were done away with on ac-
count of the cost of fuel, and since then
the product of the mountain has been
the raw ore. 1t goes to Carondelet,
Pittsburg, Springfield, Ill.,. and in no
small quantities to furnances in Ten
nessee and Alabama. Active opera
tions date back forty years. The min-
ing interests here furnished the motive
for the building of the Iron Mountain
Railroad, which was constructed to
Pilot Knob, five miles below, in 1858.
and had its TERMINUS there until good
while after the war. The Iron Mount
ain Mining Company, organized In
.S44. was family affair, and the stock
has not changed hands often except as
passed down to heirs. Mr.. Charles
Maffitt is President of the company,
The land owned in one tract embraces